It's that time again — time for voters to do their due diligence in prep for the upcoming election and for our editorial board to begin rolling out our endorsements in measures and races that affect people's lives in Central Oregon. We'll begin endorsing candidates in next week's paper. This week, we take a look at the makeup of the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners.
Not long ago, voters here said "yes" to making the Deschutes County commission non-partisan. The same dynamic also exists on the Bend City Council. There may no longer be a label attached to the candidates in those races, but that doesn't mean ideologies and partisanship don't show up. Over the last several years, we've observed a stark contrast — and plenty of ire — between the registered Republicans on the Commission, Tony DeBone and Patti Adair, and Democrat Phil Chang. Many votes end up 2-1, with Chang in the frustrated minority. As a result, we have observed less action on things like homelessness than this community deserves.
We are not deluded into thinking that a larger, five-person Commission couldn't end up with the same dynamic — a lone dissenting voice shouting into the void against four, instead of two, others — but at the very least, we might see more robust discussions around the issues. Locals, from our observations, tend to pay more attention to what's happening with the City Council than they do the County Commission, but we'd argue that the Commission holds enormous sway over things that affect our lives. It oversees the Sheriff's office, for one — one that has seen more than its fair share of alleged corruption and personnel complaints in recent years. A more robust Commission might have a bigger role to play in oversight — and even, sometimes, selection — of the person serving in this important position. After all, Deschutes County Commissioners appointed Sheriff Shane Nelson to his position in 2015.
The Commission also oversees our 911 operations, the health department, the county fair and so much more. Take a look at the bio pages for the three current commissioners, and note how many committees and boards the three of them sit on. The lists are long, and make one wonder how they keep it all straight. Truth is, maybe they don't. Adair's oversight of the Coordinated Houseless Response Office, which has done remarkably little to move the needle on homelessness in the area over the past several years, could be seen as ineffectiveness, or an example of someone with too much to do, or both.
Our current three-person board setup was crafted during a time when Deschutes County was a relative backwater, where a few thousand people lived. Now, with some 200,000 people living and working here, residents deserve leadership that is more accessible, more professional, less clannish and, generally, more effective.
This would of course mean an increase in the budget to cover two more salaries, but that seems a small price to pay here. Unlike their counterparts on the Bend City Council, county commissioners already earn a living wage. If we make the commission larger, voters should expect a higher level of professionalism — and ideally, more movement on major issues like homelessness and accountability for those with whom they work.
Vote Yes to expand the Deschutes County Commission to five members.
